


Supersum

by elkonigin



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Explicit Language, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Protective InuYasha (InuYasha), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-27 17:55:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30126642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elkonigin/pseuds/elkonigin
Summary: Supersum (Latin): (1) As a remainder, to be left, to remain, to exist still; (2) to live after, outlive, to be still alive, to survive; (3) to be in excess, to be superabundant or superfluous; (4) to be present, to serve by being present, to assistI am what is left over.I survived.I am superfluous.I support, advocate for, and defend.My name is Kagome Higurashi.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Alea Iacta Est

**Author's Note:**

> Title: "Alea Iacta Est"  
> Translation: "The die is cast."

Beware the Ides of March.   
-Julius Caesar

* * *

“Tell me that you sense something,” Inuyasha groaned as they continued traipsing through the woods.

“Sorry, nothing yet. I know that I felt a shard this way earlier; it’s just vanished or out of range,” Kagome said, almost sheepishly. “But it was definitely this way.” _I’m, like, 95% sure of that at least._

“Have patience, Inuyasha.” Miroku let out a sigh as Inuyasha let out a low growl and leapt up into the trees, as though a higher vantage point would let him see or feel something different. Kagome had a feeling it was to work off some anxious energy. But at least he wasn’t yelling or threatening to level half the forest. She fidgeted with the bottle of jewel shards as that deep swirling feeling hit the pit of her stomach. 

“Everything okay?” Sango asked as she stepped in beside her.

“You do seem troubled today,” Miroku added. 

Kagome looked up towards the tree line, hoping that the half-demon was far enough away to not overhear their conversation. He tended to overreact to things, and she really wasn’t in the mood for this to be one of them. 

“Something feels off today. I mean, I feel fine, but I just have a feeling that something’s going to happen, but I don’t know what.” She fingered the shards as she kept walking through the trees. “But what do I know? Maybe it’s going to be a good thing!” She looked over at Sango, who merely arched a brow at her statement. 

“Does it feel like it’s a good feeling?” Sango asked. 

Kagome sighed, long and heavy. “Not really, no.” She stepped over a large branch in her path. “It feels—it feels not right, if that makes sense.” 

“Is that why you insisted on Shippo staying behind this time?” Miroku’s staff jingled as he spoke. 

“Maybe. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, you know?” Kagome glanced over at him as he pushed a low hanging branch out of his way. The trees were dark and deep, almost exuding an ominous presence. Maybe she should’ve stayed home. She did have that history test coming up, and she really did need to study. Playing hookie from shard hunting may not have been such a bad idea after all. Even if she had to deal with a surly hanyou and his griping. 

Miroku made a soft noise of agreement, but didn’t add anything further. 

“Did you tell Inuyasha anything?” Sango asked. 

“No, it’s just a feeling and you know Inuyasha. He’s not one to talk about feelings. I doubt he’d take my gut intuition seriously.” She huffed lightly, mostly to herself.

“That’s not quite true. Inuyasha relies quite heavily on instinct, especially in combat. He’s not one to take them lightly. It’s saved all of our lives at one point or another.” 

“It’s probably nothing. I’m probably just anxious. We haven’t found a shard in a while, and this is the first rumor that’s actually panned out for us in a long time.” She flashed a smile at her companions, but they didn’t seem quite as amused or willing to let it go. They kept walking, weaving their way through the trees. Kagome caught glimpses through the boughs of red and silver as Inuyasha leapt through, circling back to check on them before launching himself forward again. It was probably nothing. It was probably nothing. The mantra repeated in her head, and she defiantly hoped that if she said it often enough and long enough, it would be true.

There it was, the prickling sensation on the back of her skull and her head darted to the left, drawing the attention of her two companions, who were speaking in low tones and murmurs in their own conversation. 

“Over there,” Kagome murmured, diverting her direction towards where the shard lay. She focused in on the sensation and heard Sango and Miroku behind her as she picked up pace. 

“Is it the shard?” Miroku asked. 

“Come on! We have to hurry!” 

In some ways, she kind of understood the concept of the thrill of the hunt. While she didn’t necessarily love trekking through the woods, she did see how easy it was to track down something that she wanted. Kagome hurried, pushing branches to the side as she passed but holding them back just enough so they didn’t slap Sango in the face. 

“We should call for Inuyasha,” Miroku suggested, but Kagome simply gave him a slight nod and then honed in on finding the shards. Miroku shouted for him as Kagome kept moving forward. Branches snapped underfoot, and Kagome knew she wouldn’t get any points for stealth, but that wasn’t the goal this time. Her goal was to find the shard and not lose it this time. The feeling grew the more she moved in that direction, but then it shifted. Kagome diverted course without warning. It was moving again, and she pressed forward. It was impossible to run in these woods, the trees were too close together, but she managed with what speed she could do. The presence grew again, tingling in the base of her skull. She wasn’t moving fast enough to be approaching that quickly. So how — 

It was moving towards them. The thought made her steps falter as she moved through the trees, and she only had time to glance back at Sango and Miroku before she burst through the edge of the clearing. She stumbled, catching herself before she fell.

The clearing was large but empty. To their right, however, was a cliff that looked like it would give an amazing view for sunsets. 

“Kagome?” Sango called. Kirara roared, transforming to her full-size, landing in front of her. 

“The shard—” Kagome nocked an arrow as a red blur moved in front of her line of sight, sword drawn and transformed. 

“Where is it?” He growled. His hands tightened their hold on his sword.

“Straight ahead.” 

“What do you smell, Inuyasha?” Miroku asked, taking his stance beside them. “I can sense some youkai ahead of us.” 

“Cat. More than one. At least three.” Kirara shifted her stance to move back towards Sango. 

As the tingling continued, she struggled to keep her senses focused. The sound of Miroku’s staff jingling beside her, the low snarl from Kirara, the shift of Sango’s grip on Hiraikotsu, Inuyasha’s steady, deep breathing, the low, deep groan of her own bowstring as she pulled it taut beneath her fingers. 

When they came through the trees on the other side of the clearing, it was almost anti-climatic. They just stood there, grinning.

“The one in front has the shard,” she whispered, one of his ears flicking back towards her as she spoke. “It’s in his chest.” 

His stance shifted; his hips shifting back slightly as he crouched down, rolling to the balls of his feet. 

“Stay out of the way, Kagome.” His tone demanded obedience, but she scoffed at the idea. 

“But I can—!” 

“Stay back!” He glanced back at her, eyes angry at her resistance. But that was all that the cats were waiting for. They launched themselves forward, aiming towards them. The movements were too fast for her to track, but Inuyasha was already moving. They were lynxes, and they were fast. But then again, every cat demon they’d crossed had been fast, so no real surprise there. Kagome kept her bow at the ready and fired at the one that was slicing towards Miroku a little too closely for comfort. Another grazed the shoulder of the one attacking Sango. She kept to the edge of the trees as she moved, dodging Inuyasha as he flipped to avoid landing back-first into the tree. 

“Dammit, Kagome! I told you to stay put! So stay put!” He pushed her back in the direction she’d come from and leapt back into the fray, swinging at the lynx that was making his way towards her. 

Sango cut through the lynx in front of her, turning to aid Miroku. They were all moving too fast, there was too much room to make a mistake and nail Inuyasha, who was all over the place fighting the leader.

She’d moved as a blast of energy came right at her; it missed by a wide margin. Inuyasha had merely glanced in her direction, before striking a blow against the very arm that had put her in danger. 

If she’d been obedient, that blast would’ve killed her right then. No one would’ve been able to save her in time. Sometimes a girl had to save herself, right? She couldn’t always be the damsel in distress, even if the prince was handsome but uncouth. She was a modern woman! She could take care of herself for once! She didn’t need everyone distracted because she couldn’t handle a demon or two. These lynxes were strong, but they weren’t Sesshomaru strong, and she’d gone toe to toe with him! She could do this! 

Claws dug into her neck, squeezing off her air before she could make a sound. A soft rasp, barely louder than a breath escaped her mouth, unnoticed in the rage of the battle before her. 

Oh God, there were four! Four! Inuyasha had said there were at least three, and she hadn’t considered that there would be another in hiding. 

Her eyes watered as she scanned the field, hoping that someone would notice and come to her aid, but they were all so focused on what was in front of them. Blood sprayed from Inuyasha’s middle, but she couldn’t make any noise more than a gasp. Another hand groped around for the shards around her neck, pulling them off. She was on her own.

“Saw you playing with these in the woods. Kept having to avoid that half-breed jumping around.” His breath washed over her ear from behind. He ripped the chain from around her neck that now stung from the abuse. “These are mine now.” His hand around her throat squeezed tighter as she pathetically tried to pry his fingers loose. Her lungs burned, and she knew that if she didn’t do something, she was gone. No one was watching for her, because she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. She’d dropped her bow and arrow when he’d grabbed her and she had nothing to defend herself with. 

_Purification_. The word drifted through her clouding mind, and for just a moment, she felt her hands sear the flesh underneath them, the tinge of burning flesh singeing her nose. The demon roared, nails biting into the soft flesh of her neck before flinging her away. She braced for impact, knew it was coming, tried to prepare herself. Her hands cradled her head, and she struck the hard earth on her side, head knocking against the ground anyway. Her hands and feet scraped against the rocks and grass. She bounced, but there was no jarred landing, no slide, that she’d anticipated. Instead, her arm struck the ground as it disappeared from view. Air rushed past her as she fell, seeing the rock in a blur as she fell. Her lungs found air, finally, and she caught sight of her arrows falling with her. 

Strange. 

_I’m going to die._

And for a brief moment, she really hoped that it wouldn’t hurt. 

But even that kindness was ultimately denied to her. 

“Inu—” 


	2. Otium cum dignitate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title Translation: "Rest with dignity"

She should have died hereafter;  
There would have been a time for such a word.   
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,  
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day  
To the last syllable of recorded time,  
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools  
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!   
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player  
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage  
And then is heard no more: it is a tale  
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,  
Signifying nothing.   
- _Macbeth_

* * *

  
“Would you just stay down?!” Inuyasha roared as he swiped at yet another lynx that had popped up in front of him, massive and abnormally large when compared to the others. Kirara had gone down, taking a blow meant for Sango and Miroku, both were already sporting various cuts and scrapes. Claws swiped against his chest, digging deep into his flesh. The blow knocked him back a couple steps, but he leapt to the offensive, slicing Tetsusaiga and catching the arm swinging up towards him. Blood sprayed out, but Inuyasha watched in surprise as the flesh knit itself back together almost instantaneously. 

The damn lynx had a shard in him. 

He glanced over his shoulder at Miroku, who was already reaching for his ofuda, breathing heavily. There was a cut above his eye that bled down his face. This fourth one was causing all of them some issues.

“Move, Inuyasha!” He shouted, throwing his hand out as the paper flew towards the lynx. There was no need for Inuyasha to react really. The hard swipe of a clawed hand sent him back first into the ground. He sprang up quickly enough, but he could feel the blood seeping into his clothes. Miroku had thrown three, almost blindly, but two missed, landing on the ground a few feet behind the demon. The sheer volume of the roar it let out had Inuyasha’s ears pinning flat back against his skull. But all he needed was an opening, and for the stupid thing to just slow down enough for him to avoid the damn claws. He’d almost been completely eviscerated as it was. One of his hands was the only thing keeping his innards actually in his body. 

“Kagome! Where’s the shard?” He faced the youkai, sword at the ready. “No way this one doesn’t have at least one shard.” But there was silence that followed his statement. “Kagome?” 

“Who are you looking for, half-breed?” The youkai drooled as Miroku slapped another ofuda that brought it to its knees. 

“None of your business!” He glanced over his shoulder at the tree line. “Dammit, Kagome! Answer me!” Another count of the lynxes, proved all of them accounted for. There were four, and there are four in the clearing, in piles at least. Sango was in front of Kirara. Miroku stood on the other side of the lynx. His stomach clenched uncomfortably. He couldn’t hear her. The smell of blood was overwhelming. There was a lot, his own up close and personal. He didn’t see her anywhere in clearing, but he also didn’t see or sense her anywhere else. Although the likelihood of the miko actually listening and staying out of trouble was the least likely thing to happen today or any other day. 

“Looking for something?” The lynx drawled out. His face twisted up into a grin. 

“What did you do?” His voice lowered an octave and he stared the lynx down. The lynx swung in a half-assed attempt strike the monk, and Inuyasha was quick to place Tetsusaiga at his throat. The lynx didn’t say a word, snarling as Miroku plastered him with another ofuda, forcing the youkai’s arms to go slack. It was too damn strong for it to be natural. “What did you do to Kagome? Where is she?” 

“Only what we were sent to do.” Inuyasha’s claws dug into the soft flesh, cutting off his air and his ability to talk. Now that he was close enough, he could smell it. Faint, easily lost in the all the other smells out here. But it was there. Blood. Her blood.

“Where. Is. She?” The words came out in a low snarl, and he caught sight of Miroku taking a step towards him. 

“Inuyasha,” Miroku started, but it was Sango who placed a hand on the monk’s shoulder and stopped his speech with Kirara limping behind her.

“Go sniff her out—mutt,” the lynx rasped under the claws in his throat. “Can’t be too hard to find the body. Couldn’t have gotten too far now.” He let out a burbling gasp of a laugh, and Inuyasha felt the soft tissue of his windpipe slide against his fingers as he dug deeper and then pulled. The flesh and muscle tore easily, and he let it fall from his hand to the ground at his feet.

Miroku flinched in his peripherals, but that didn’t stop him. The blood goaded him, pressured him; he needed to do something. He stared into the eyes of the choking lynx, whose eyes darted to the side and focused, before flitting back to him and letting a slow smile grow over his face. Inuyasha followed his gaze, looking for whatever it was that he was looking for. Pausing, and then sucking in a breath when his own eyes landed on the cliff. They widened, his breath hitched, his ears flickered for any sign of noise of which there was none.

 _Kagome_.

A low whine escaped him as he realized the possibilities. 

His own demon rose, feral at the idea of any of his pack being harmed, but especially her. Even with Tetsusaiga at his side, there was something primal that wanted revenge, blood for blood. He turned towards the lynx and let the growl erupt from his throat.

He didn’t realize what he’d done until the youkai was in pieces and strewn apart across the clearing. Sango landed to his left on Kirara. She held something in her hands, but the bulk of Kirara blocked whatever it was from view.

“Inuyasha,” Sango’s voice called to him and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. It sounded watery.

“Sango, wait.” Miroku held his arm out to stop her from approaching. His eyes flicked to the both of them, and they both seemed to relax. “Inuyasha? Are you back?” 

“I never left, idiot.” 

“Of course. I have gathered the shards that we could find.” He held his hand out, palm up, and he saw a large chunk there. Enough to be made of the few shards that Kagome held, merged together in the youkai’s body. His gaze turned towards the cliff face, and he leapt towards it. He gazed down, seeing the river and the rocks at the bottom. It was too far. He’d live, of course, maybe with a few broken bones. She wouldn’t stand a chance, even if all she did was strike the water. It would feel like stone from this height.

The sun was setting; it was breathtaking. She would love it; he would have to bring her—

His chest spasmed, and he leapt down the cliff, taking care to slow his descent enough. He leapt off the cliff and onto the opposite side. The loamy earth slid under his feet and between his toes; it was noted, but not recognized. Sango and Miroku landed a moment behind him on a struggling Kirara. For as much as his stomach dropped, his last meal rose up into his throat, threatening a revolt. 

Arrows scattered over the rocks, some laying on the ground near where he stood. They’d flown out when she’d fallen most likely. From this angle, she would’ve—

“I found this.” Sango’s statement was punctuated with a hard swallow. He broke his gaze and looked at her, eyes drifting to her hands, where a broken bow lay. He reached out and took it from her. It had snapped clean in two and somewhere the string itself had been lost. He looked back up at her. 

“I didn’t—I wasn’t—She—” Again, that desire to retch taunted him and he could feel his skin sour at the restraint.

“She’s gone, isn’t she?” Sango asked, and that was all it took. He spun, bow still in hand, leaned against the nearest tree and expelled every last bit of food he’d ever consumed. He wound his arm around his midsection as his own guts threated to expel themselves through the lacerations.

“Inuyasha?” Miroku’s hand rested on his shoulder. 

“’m fine,” he mumbled as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. He stepped away from the tree, looking back at the river. Even though there was nothing left, something still threatened to rise in his throat. Miroku gave him a sad smile and turned towards the river, moving to stand at the edge of the water. 

For a moment, there was a zing of relief that she’d made Shippo stay in the village. Miroku’s chant carried over to them and Inuyasha watched, dazed at the idea, the very concept, that she was dead. That can’t be right. She couldn’t simply just be gone, just like that. He’d promised her—sworn at his father’s grave to protect her. Would Tetsusaiga even work with her gone? 

Miroku’s voice caught, hitched, as he muffled a low sob, shoulders shaking as he tried to speak. In one of her few acts of intimacy that Inuyasha had seen, Sango moved to Miroku’s side, wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace and he watched them cry. His fingers twitched, as if reaching out for her hand, but Kirara nudged his arm instead. 

He should do something, right? There were things he needed to do, right? But the list evaporated from his mind and all he could gather was that everything felt colder now. It all felt empty, pointless; he was purposeless now. How could he move on from this? The rocks were pristine, clean of any remnants of her. How much had it hurt? Was she afraid? Did she die hating him because he’d failed her, failed to do the one thing he’d sworn to do? He—he needed to find her. He couldn’t believe that she was gone—really gone—until he saw it first hand. That’s all there was to it. 

“I’m going to look—” His voice shook as he talked and he cleared it. “I’m going to find her.” 

“Inuyasha, it’s too dark. You’re injured; we’re all injured. Kirara barely made it down here.” 

“I’m not leaving her out there!” He bellowed, wincing at he pressure it put on his abdomen. 

“We won’t be able to help you look,” Miroku started. 

“I don’t need your help. I can see just fine without you.” 

“Kagome wouldn’t want you to injure yourself more—” Sango’s own voice was thick with tears. 

“Well, she ain’t exactly around to say anything, is she?” He snapped. He glanced between them, suddenly envious of what they had and what he, for a second time, was denied. “Forget this.” He moved to leap, but it was a tug at his sleeve that halted him. He could’ve moved, ripped his arm away without any struggle.

“Please, Inuyasha. We can’t lose you too,” Sango whispered. He turned his head away, claws digging into his palms as he clenched his fists. “Please, we will help you look. Just let us bandage your wounds and our own.” 

“Kagome would insist on it.” Miroku paused. “I would insist on it as well. I’ll subdue you, if I have to.” 

He opened his mouth to say something foul, probably crude too, but everything in him just seemed to want to stop. His demon was howling, alternating between wanting to destroy everything around him in a raging fit and curling up into a ball until he withered away. It seemed like a good idea. 

After all, it wasn’t like she needed saving. It was already too late for that. He sank ungracefully to his knees, falling back against a tree nearby. They were talking to him, but he could only see the rocks, clean and clear, and the water that flowed between them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite possibly my absolute favorite lines from a Shakespeare play.   
> How do you not enjoy Macbeth, honestly?


End file.
